His Excellency Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru
Prime Minister of the Republic of India
New Delhi

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

Your Excellency's letter dated September 26, 1959, has
been received. It is most unfortunate that subsequently
another unexpected border clash took place on October
21 within Chinese territory in the area south of the Kongka Pass. Regarding this clash, the Chinese and Indian
Governments have already exchanged several notes, including the November 4 note of the Indian Government
to the Chinese Government. Most regrettably, this note
of the Indian Government not only disregards in many
respects the basic facts of the question of boundary
between the two countries and the truth of the border
clash, but adopts an attitude which is extremely harmful
to the friendly relations between the two countries.
Obviously, it is in no way helpful to a settlement of the
question to take such an attitude. Under the present
circumstances, I consider that the most important duty
facing us is, first of all, to take effective steps, speedily
and without hesitation, to earnestly improve the disquieting situation on the border between the two countries, and work for the complete elimination of the possibility
of any border clash in the future.

As the Sino-Indian boundary has never been delimited
and it is very long and very far or comparatively far from
the political centres of the two countries, I am afraid that,
if no fully appropriate solution is worked out by the two
Governments, border clashes which both sides do not want
to see may again occur in the future. And once such a
dash takes place, even though a minor one, it will be
made use of by people who are hostile to the friendship
of our two countries to attain their ulterior objectives.
There is a history of long-standing friendship but no
conflict of fundamental interests between our two
countries, and our Governments are initiators of the Five
Principles of Peaceful Co-existence. We have no reason
to allow the tension on the border between our two
countries to continue.

Your Excellency's letter of September 26 contains many
viewpoints to which the Chinese Government cannot
agree. Regarding these, I would like to state my views
on another occasion. I am glad, however, that this letter
reiterates that the Indian Government attaches great
importance to the maintenance of friendly relations with
China and agrees to the view consistently held by the
Chinese Government that the border disputes which have
already arisen should be settled amicably and peacefully
and that pending a settlement the status quo should be
maintained and neither side should seek to alter the
status quo by any means. In order to maintain effectively
the status quo of the border between the two countries,
to ensure the tranquillity of the border regions and to create a favourable atmosphere for a friendly settlement
of the boundary question, the Chinese Government proposes that the armed forces of China and India each
withdraw 20 kilometres at once from the so-called
McMahon Line in the east, and from the line up to which
each side exercises actual control in the west, and that
the two sides undertake to refrain from again sending
their armed personnel to be stationed in and patrol the
zones from which they have evacuated their armed forces,
but still maintain civil administrative personnel and
unarmed police there for the performance of administrative duties and maintenance of order. This proposal is
in effect an extension of the Indian Government's proposal contained in its note dated September 10 that
neither side should send its armed personnel to Longju,
to the entire border between China and India, and
moreover a proposal to separate the troops of the two
sides by as great a distance as 40 kilometres. If there is
any need to increase this distance, the Chinese Government is also willing to give it consideration. In a word,
both before and after the formal delimitation of the
boundary between our two countries through negotiations,
the Chinese Government is willing to do its utmost to
create the most peaceful and most secure border zones
between our two countries, so that our two countries will
never again have apprehensions or come to a clash on
account of border issues. If this proposal of the Chinese
Government is acceptable to the Indian Government,
concrete measures for its implementation can be discussed and decided upon at once by the two Governments
through diplomatic channels.

The Chinese Government has never had the intention
of straining the border situation and the relations between the two countries. I believe that Your Excellency also
wishes to see the present tension eased. I earnestly hope
that, for the sake of the great, long-standing friendship
of the more than one thousand million people of our two
countries, the Chinese and Indian Governments will make
joint efforts and reach a speedy agreement on the above-
said proposal.

The Chinese Government proposes that in order to
further discuss the boundary question and other questions
in the relations between the two countries, the Prime
Ministers of the two countries hold talks in the immediate
future.

Respected Mr. Prime Minister! The peoples of our
two countries desire that we act promptly. I think we
should satisfy their desires and not let those who seek
every chance to disrupt by all means the great friendship
between China and India attain their sinister objective.
I await an early reply from Your Excellency.

I take this opportunity to express to you my cordial
regards.

(Signed) CHOU EN-LAI
Premier of the State Council
of the People's Republic of China